Max Webster
Encyclopedia
Max Webster was a Canadian
rock
band of the 1970s and early 1980s.
, Ontario
and originally consisted of guitarist and vocalist Kim Mitchell
, keyboardist Terry Watkinson
, bassist Mike Tilka and drummer Paul Kersey. Mitchell and Pye Dubois
would write the majority of their material, with Mitchell writing the music and Dubois writing lyrics. During his tenure with the band, Watkinson also wrote a significant amount of material, typically one to three songs per album.
Kersey left the band after their 1976 self-titled debut album, to be replaced by Gary McCracken. After recording and touring for their second album, High Class in Borrowed Shoes
(1977), Tilka would follow suit and leave the band, being replaced by Dave Myles. Myles had previously played with Mitchell in a series of pre-Max Webster bands, all based in Mitchell's and Myles' hometown of Sarnia
, Ontario.
Max Webster's third album, Mutiny Up My Sleeve
(1978), was produced by the band and Terry Brown in collaboration with their ex-bassist Mike Tilka (who was now concentrating on a production career), and featured the Mitchell/Watkinson/McCracken/Myles line-up. This line-up would last through their fourth album, A Million Vacations
, and a subsequent live album, Live Magnetic Air
, both of which were issued in 1979.
Though their albums had become FM radio staples in Canada, A Million Vacations was the first Max Webster album to generate hit singles that cracked the Canadian top 100. The group's first hit was "Let Go The Line", which was written and sung by Terry Watkinson and peaked at #41 on the Canadian charts. Follow-up single "A Million Vacations" was written by McCracken/Dubois, sung by McCracken, and peaked at #80 in Canada. The album's third and final single, "Paradise Skies" was a Mitchell/Dubois composition sung by Mitchell, and was a minor hit in both Canada (#21) and the UK Singles Chart
(#43).
With some international recognition having come their way, Max Webster then toured Europe to fairly large crowds in 1979. However, career momentum was stalled when the band's label refused to finance a follow-up tour. By the time the band returned to Europe more than a year later, their single was off the charts, and the tour had to be cancelled due to poor ticket sales.
Prior to the recording of the band's fifth and final studio album, Universal Juveniles
(1980), Watkinson exited. This left Max Webster a trio of Mitchell, McCracken and Myles (and left Mitchell as the band's sole original member). Universal Juveniles was recorded with the assistance of various session musicians; the song "Battle Scar" was recorded live with all three members of Rush playing alongside Max Webster.
Myles left the band almost immediately after the album was recorded. Max Webster toured for a little while longer with a revised 'caretaker' line-up before Kim Mitchell decided to dissolve the band at the end of 1981 for a solo career.
. In a 1979 interview Geddy Lee
commented that he enjoyed their music, and both bands frequently toured together during the 1970s. Rush would write and record the song "I Think I'm Going Bald" in honor of Mitchell.
The band was successful in Canada, with hits such as "A Million Vacations," "Let Go The Line" and "Paradise Skies", although they never made it big outside of Canada. "Paradise Skies" was a minor UK hit, reaching number 43 on the singles chart there. In addition, they appeared on Top of the Pops in 1979 playing to a pre-recorded track which was recorded at Abbey Road studios. Kim Mitchell's subsequent solo career, however, reached a much broader audience and he achieved popularity beyond Canada during the 1980s.
Among the highlights of the band's career were their New Year's Eve shows at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens.
Geddy Lee of Rush joined the band onstage to sing & play his Rickenbacker bass guitar for "Battle Scar" on December 31, 1980 when the band headlined the show.
The band reunited in 1990 for a gig at the Toronto Music Awards, featuring the Mitchell/Watkinson/Tilka/McCracken line-up. Max Webster then continued to play shows on occasional basis throughout the 1990s, with bassist Peter Fredette joining the band in place of Tilka.
Max Webster later reunited for the Q107
30th Anniversary Concert and Live Radio Special on Thursday, May 24, 2007 at The Docks in Toronto. A one-off gig, the band played a set of their hits ("Oh War!," "The Party," "Waterline," "Let Go The Line," "Toronto Tontos," "Diamonds Diamonds," "High Class In Borrowed Shoes," "A Million Vacations," "In Context Of The Moon," "Paradise Skies," Charmonium," and "Battle Scar," with "Hangover" as an encore) and featured the classic Max Webster lineup from the High Class in Borrowed Shoes era of Kim Mitchell, Terry Watkinson, Mike Tilka and Gary McCracken (who sang "A Million Vacations" with drummer Robert Sibony on drums for the tune). Longtime Kim Mitchell bandmate Peter Fredette joined the band onstage to sing Geddy Lee
's part on "Battle Scar."
Kim Mitchell currently hosts the weekday afternoon drive slot (2pm-6pm) on Q107
(107.1) in Toronto
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band of the 1970s and early 1980s.
Career
The band was formed in 1973 in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and originally consisted of guitarist and vocalist Kim Mitchell
Kim Mitchell
Joseph Kim Mitchell is a Canadian guitarist. He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Max Webster before going on to lead a solo career. He is currently a radio show host for CILQ-FM in Toronto....
, keyboardist Terry Watkinson
Terry Watkinson
Terry Watkinson, BSc, is an artist, painter, illustrator, and musician.After spending his youth in Thunder Bay,& Iroquois Falls Ontario, Watkinson attended the University of Toronto for two years in the field of architecture until he left to participate in the band Max Webster...
, bassist Mike Tilka and drummer Paul Kersey. Mitchell and Pye Dubois
Pye Dubois
Pye Dubois is a Canadian lyricist and poet. He has worked with a number of bands, including Rush and Max Webster, with whom he was considered an unofficial fifth non-performing member. Dubois would accompany the band in the studio and wrote lyrics for each of their albums. Dubois was given lyric...
would write the majority of their material, with Mitchell writing the music and Dubois writing lyrics. During his tenure with the band, Watkinson also wrote a significant amount of material, typically one to three songs per album.
Kersey left the band after their 1976 self-titled debut album, to be replaced by Gary McCracken. After recording and touring for their second album, High Class in Borrowed Shoes
High Class in Borrowed Shoes
High Class in Borrowed Shoes is the second album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The album was released in 1977 and has been certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.-Track listing:...
(1977), Tilka would follow suit and leave the band, being replaced by Dave Myles. Myles had previously played with Mitchell in a series of pre-Max Webster bands, all based in Mitchell's and Myles' hometown of Sarnia
Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
, Ontario.
Max Webster's third album, Mutiny Up My Sleeve
Mutiny Up My Sleeve
Mutiny Up My Sleeve was the third album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The record was released in 1978 and has been certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.-Track listing:# "Lip Service" – 4:02...
(1978), was produced by the band and Terry Brown in collaboration with their ex-bassist Mike Tilka (who was now concentrating on a production career), and featured the Mitchell/Watkinson/McCracken/Myles line-up. This line-up would last through their fourth album, A Million Vacations
A Million Vacations
A Million Vacations was the fourth album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The record was released in 1979. The hit songs "A Million Vacations", "Let Go the Line", and "Paradise Skies" remain as Canadian Classic rock radio station staples...
, and a subsequent live album, Live Magnetic Air
Live Magnetic Air
Live Magnetic Air is a live album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The album was released in 1979 and has been certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.- Track listing :# "America's Veins"...
, both of which were issued in 1979.
Though their albums had become FM radio staples in Canada, A Million Vacations was the first Max Webster album to generate hit singles that cracked the Canadian top 100. The group's first hit was "Let Go The Line", which was written and sung by Terry Watkinson and peaked at #41 on the Canadian charts. Follow-up single "A Million Vacations" was written by McCracken/Dubois, sung by McCracken, and peaked at #80 in Canada. The album's third and final single, "Paradise Skies" was a Mitchell/Dubois composition sung by Mitchell, and was a minor hit in both Canada (#21) and the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
(#43).
With some international recognition having come their way, Max Webster then toured Europe to fairly large crowds in 1979. However, career momentum was stalled when the band's label refused to finance a follow-up tour. By the time the band returned to Europe more than a year later, their single was off the charts, and the tour had to be cancelled due to poor ticket sales.
Prior to the recording of the band's fifth and final studio album, Universal Juveniles
Universal Juveniles
Universal Juveniles was Max Webster's fifth and last album, released in 1980. The album features a guest appearance by friends and fellow Canadian rockers Rush on the song "Battle Scar".Certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association...
(1980), Watkinson exited. This left Max Webster a trio of Mitchell, McCracken and Myles (and left Mitchell as the band's sole original member). Universal Juveniles was recorded with the assistance of various session musicians; the song "Battle Scar" was recorded live with all three members of Rush playing alongside Max Webster.
Myles left the band almost immediately after the album was recorded. Max Webster toured for a little while longer with a revised 'caretaker' line-up before Kim Mitchell decided to dissolve the band at the end of 1981 for a solo career.
Legacy and reunions
Max Webster were close friends of fellow Canadian musicians RushRush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
. In a 1979 interview Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee
Gary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
commented that he enjoyed their music, and both bands frequently toured together during the 1970s. Rush would write and record the song "I Think I'm Going Bald" in honor of Mitchell.
The band was successful in Canada, with hits such as "A Million Vacations," "Let Go The Line" and "Paradise Skies", although they never made it big outside of Canada. "Paradise Skies" was a minor UK hit, reaching number 43 on the singles chart there. In addition, they appeared on Top of the Pops in 1979 playing to a pre-recorded track which was recorded at Abbey Road studios. Kim Mitchell's subsequent solo career, however, reached a much broader audience and he achieved popularity beyond Canada during the 1980s.
Among the highlights of the band's career were their New Year's Eve shows at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens.
Geddy Lee of Rush joined the band onstage to sing & play his Rickenbacker bass guitar for "Battle Scar" on December 31, 1980 when the band headlined the show.
The band reunited in 1990 for a gig at the Toronto Music Awards, featuring the Mitchell/Watkinson/Tilka/McCracken line-up. Max Webster then continued to play shows on occasional basis throughout the 1990s, with bassist Peter Fredette joining the band in place of Tilka.
Max Webster later reunited for the Q107
CILQ-FM
CILQ-FM is a radio station, broadcasting at 107.1 FM in Toronto, Ontario. The station broadcasts a classic rock format branded as Q107 and is also available through streaming audio....
30th Anniversary Concert and Live Radio Special on Thursday, May 24, 2007 at The Docks in Toronto. A one-off gig, the band played a set of their hits ("Oh War!," "The Party," "Waterline," "Let Go The Line," "Toronto Tontos," "Diamonds Diamonds," "High Class In Borrowed Shoes," "A Million Vacations," "In Context Of The Moon," "Paradise Skies," Charmonium," and "Battle Scar," with "Hangover" as an encore) and featured the classic Max Webster lineup from the High Class in Borrowed Shoes era of Kim Mitchell, Terry Watkinson, Mike Tilka and Gary McCracken (who sang "A Million Vacations" with drummer Robert Sibony on drums for the tune). Longtime Kim Mitchell bandmate Peter Fredette joined the band onstage to sing Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee
Gary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
's part on "Battle Scar."
Kim Mitchell currently hosts the weekday afternoon drive slot (2pm-6pm) on Q107
CILQ-FM
CILQ-FM is a radio station, broadcasting at 107.1 FM in Toronto, Ontario. The station broadcasts a classic rock format branded as Q107 and is also available through streaming audio....
(107.1) in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Discography
- Max WebsterMax Webster (album)Max Webster was the first record released by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The record was released in 1976 and has been certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.-Track listing:# "Hangover" – 4:36...
(1976) (Released in the U.S. on Mercury/Polygram as "Hangover," in 1977) - High Class in Borrowed ShoesHigh Class in Borrowed ShoesHigh Class in Borrowed Shoes is the second album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The album was released in 1977 and has been certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.-Track listing:...
(1977) - Mutiny Up My SleeveMutiny Up My SleeveMutiny Up My Sleeve was the third album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The record was released in 1978 and has been certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.-Track listing:# "Lip Service" – 4:02...
(1978) - A Million VacationsA Million VacationsA Million Vacations was the fourth album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The record was released in 1979. The hit songs "A Million Vacations", "Let Go the Line", and "Paradise Skies" remain as Canadian Classic rock radio station staples...
(1979) - Live Magnetic AirLive Magnetic AirLive Magnetic Air is a live album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The album was released in 1979 and has been certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.- Track listing :# "America's Veins"...
(1979) - Universal JuvenilesUniversal JuvenilesUniversal Juveniles was Max Webster's fifth and last album, released in 1980. The album features a guest appearance by friends and fellow Canadian rockers Rush on the song "Battle Scar".Certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association...
(1980) - Diamonds DiamondsDiamonds DiamondsDiamonds Diamonds is a "Greatest Hits" album by the Canadian band Max Webster. It was released in 1982, after the band had broken up, and features two new tracks: "Hot Spots" and "Overnight Sensation"...
(1981) - The Best of Max WebsterThe Best of Max WebsterThe Best of Max Webster is an album by the Canadian rock band Max Webster. The album was released in 1989, eight years after Max Webster disbanded...
(1989)